A River Runs Through It: Tavira

Visiting Tavira, in the eastern Algarve region of Portugal, it’s easy to lose track of the time, the day and, indeed the century. Neatly bisecting one of the most gracious cities in the province is the Gilao River which forms high in the Serra do Caldeirao Mountains from rivulets and tributaries and flows southward down to the Atlantic Ocean. At its mouth are numerous mariculture clam beds, salt pans and the golden, finely-grained sand beaches worshiped by the tourists, all of which bolster the economy of this ancient fishing village through which it runs and which gives entry to both banks of its historic urban center. Spanning the river is an arched bridge initially believed to be of Roman origin but recently revealed to be of Moorish construction in the 12th century.On the western shore the city climbs the slopes of hills where the twenty plus churches are scattered around and about its narrow, winding and cobblestoned streets, many of which are steeply pitched. A short climb up the streets will give you a view of the roof-scape and the many short hipped, traditionally tiled roofs with the truncated ridge poles, a signature characteristic of Tavira’s charms. It’s thought that this roof style may have originated due to the shortage of timber in the area although another theory is that the slightly oriental appearing roofs may have just taken the fancy of long ago residents. Overlooking the city are the well-preserved walls of its castle, Castelo De Tavira, a great vantage point and a lasting gift from the Moors during their lengthy occupation of the Algarve, intended to consolidate and extend their Islamic power over the region.On the eastern shore is the level area. A thoroughfare fronting the river provides more housing, trendy shops, churches and a mix of spacious walkways and meandering streets which attract the locals and visitors alike as a place to sample the local food, savor a coffee or glass of Portugal’s fine wine or view life next to the river in a shaded area during the mid-day lull. Here vendors, musicians, merchants and patrons mingle easily in a slow-paced ambiance.Tavira, by almost any yardstick, is ancient. But in truth and to be more precise, it is an iteration upon iteration of cities, great and small, which have risen and fallen according to the vagaries of the inhabitants and nature across the ages. Its origins date back to the Bronze Age (2300 BCE – 700 BCE approximately for this region) when it rose as one of the first Phoenician settlements in the western Iberian Peninsula. The village grew into the massively fortified city of Baal Saphon with temples and a harbor which was destroyed in the sixth century BCE by conflict, perhaps internal. The Tartessos people, traders in tin as well as copper and gold, all prized metals in the Bronze Age, next occupied the site. Their time was brief and by the arrival of the Romans in the early part of the Common Era their presence was all but forgotten. In truth, the Romans paid scant notice to the ruins of Tavira and built a town they called Balsa a short distance from the small city that sat atop the ruins of the once proud Phoenician city of Baal Saphon. The new city and the region prospered and decayed parallel to the fortunes of the Roman Empire and by the time the Moors arrived with their new religion of Islam, Balsa was already an extinct town.The Moorish occupation of Tavira between the 8th and 13th centuries left its mark on the architecture and culture of the area and its influence can still be seen in Tavira today with its whitewashed buildings and Moorish style doors. The Moorish occupation was a good time economically for the city which established itself as an important port for sailors and fishermen. In the 11th century Moorish Tavira started to grow rapidly, becoming one of the most important towns of the Algarve. This prosperity continued but evolved again “under new management” during The Reconquista – the expulsion of the Moors – in 1242 which unified the fledgling nation of Portugal under the banner of Catholicism. In 1755 an even more formidable foe arose in the form of a massive earthquake, perhaps as large as magnitude 9 on the Richter scale, and subsequent tsunamis which virtually destroyed the city. Slowly it rebuilt itself amidst the remaining ruins and the 18th century historic city of Tavira is much as it appears today.And now this charming center of certainly less than 30,000 souls finds itself in flux again, a situation perfectly suited to the history of this magnificent locale which has endured so much change. During the off-season many of its businesses shutter their doors although there is a modern shopping center operating year around. And, like the rest of the Algarve Region, masses of summertime tourists descend upon this city with its excellent restaurants, miles of nearby beaches, and rising real estate prices. With the growing popularity of the area there won’t be any hope of holding back change. Just as invasion and conquest, growth and abandonment, tsunami and quake have swept over this land and altered this city, the future of Tavira with its river running through it will be sculpted by the hand of 21st century modernism. Hopefully, its touch will be gentle.

56 comments

I have lived in the Algarve for 10 years now. Loved your article on Tavira. I am based more to the west but have done a few nights in Cabanas (annexed to Tavira).
If you ever do come back over and didn’t do too much of the west I would be happy to drop you some pointers. And great shout on Sintra by the way. One of my top 3 places in Portugal. Another must is Evora, chapel of bones and its cathedral and Roman columns etc.

Thanks Pete for your suggestions and for stopping by our blog. Sintra has been on our radar for a long time and Evora sounds fascinating too. We made the move to Portugal in November, 2015 and are currently living in Lagos. There’s are so many great places to explore in Portugal and it’s always fun to learn about more “must sees” from someone who loves and lives in the Algarve Region.

No problem.
We have just started our own blog to go with our business last month. You can find us at http://www.algarve-365.com/blog mainly tourism based as we try to give some info to our clients before they arrive. But who knows you may (or may not) learn something lol

Thanks for the link Pete, and I’ve bookmarked it as it’s sure to become useful down the road. You have a lot of great information that I’ll peruse and digest. Maybe our paths will cross on some road in the Algarve!

Tavira is beautiful and it’s easy,even during the high season, to find out-of-the-way places to kick back and enjoy the views of the city and the river. No wonder that so many people think the same thing!

So glad you liked the photos, Suzanne and you’re right, Portugal is a popular place, especially during the summer! We also love to read several travel blogs and find them to be not only fun but helpful with advice as well as a great source of information and inspiration!

I’ve just this week finalized my tickets for Spain and Portugal, so your posts on Portugal are very timely for me. I love your photos of Tavira, and its fascinating history. Thanks for both. I’ll be adding this town to my list of must sees. Spending 5 days in Barcelona over Christmas, and then onto Portugal for January and February. Can’t wait!

Great itinerary and we’re so glad that you’re enjoying our posts about Portugal. We hope to be back in the Algarve Region before Christmas and we’ll have to make plans to meet up – wouldn’t that be fun!

We totally agree and are also drawn to cities by oceans, rivers or lakes. Portugal definitely has an abundance of areas on or near the water which only adds to the country’s total appeal. We think you’d love a visit as well as the opportunity to sample many of the delicious traditional dishes.

We can’t say enough good things about Portugal and the Algarve Region. The great thing about reading travel blogs is that they show us even more places to visit and we can share other traveler’s experiences. There are so many places to go that our list (probably like yours!) keeps getting longer the more we travel.

I’d love to go to Portugal again and Tavira looks so enticing. I especially loved your last line, so insightful .. “Just as invasion and conquest, growth and abandonment, tsunami and quake have swept over this land and altered this city, the future of Tavira with its river running through it will be sculpted by the hand of 21st century modernism. Hopefully, its touch will be gentle.” That is so much the case with many ancient places which don’t quite fit into the modern equation. We can only hope for responsible tourism.

It’s amazing to see these old cities and learn about the history, the conquests and various nations that have claimed them for their own. From what we saw in both Spain and Portugal, the locals are very proud of their heritage and like to share it with appreciative tourists. And, to be realistic, tourism plays a huge part in many of these city’s economies so it’s likely that any development will continue to be done responsibly.

You’d love sampling the region’s fabulous foods, Sue! We had a razorback clam dish with rice that was amazing and, on our second visit, sampled fig ice cream at a well known ice cream shop. And of course, we ate the grilled sardines every chance we could! Travel and finding new foods to love go hand in hand!

There are so many little villages and cities to explore in the Algarve Region (one e-book we bought mentions more than 50!) that it’s not surprising that you hadn’t heard of Tavira. However, it’s well worth some time to explore its narrow, winding streets, admire its architecture and listen to the street musicians – all the things that make a perfect day!

I love the bleached quality of the light in your photos, so reminiscent of our time in Mallorca earlier this year. I can see why you’ve fallen in love with the Algarve. Look forward to seeing and reading more of your new love! 🙂

So glad you liked the photos, Betsy and can understand our passion for Portugal. There’s lots to love about this amazingly picturesque country and the Algarve Region and we look forward to returning and taking our time exploring it at our leisure.

We were lucky enough to spend our time in the Algarve traveling by train and car and, while the train was efficient and comfortable, there’s nothing like taking a road on a whim to see where you end up. By all means, visit Portugal and rent a car – you’ll love it!

I love the look of Tavira. We have been to Lisbon and loved it and I definitely want to explore this area in the south one day. I also love the Moorish influence found in Southern Spain which obviously is in Portugal too. Even up as far as Sintra!

For such a small country Portugal has much to see and do. Even though we were there several weeks we spent all of our time along the coast and left with a long list of places still to visit including a leisurely visit of Lisbon as well as Sintra. There are many reasons to return and we are looking forward to another stay and picking up our explorations soon!

Thanks, Noel. You’d love a return visit to the Algarve Region as well as exploring some of its little cities. I imagine that you’ll find things much the same in this lovely area where time seems to move slowly.

Thanks Carol. A time-share sounds like a great investment and you won’t be disappointed spending some time in this gorgeous area. Keep in touch with your plans and maybe we can arrange for our paths to cross!

Thanks Michelle for your very kind words. Writing about places we visit makes us better travelers, encourages us to delve into the history and makes each place more memorable for us. And you won’t be disappointed with a visit to Tavira – it’s interesting as well as charming!

Wow! Tavira has been through it all. I hope that it transitions gently. I am curious as to how long you spend researching the areas you visit for your posts. They are packed with history and beauty. Thanks for your research into areas that I never would have considered visiting prior to reading your blog. 🙂

We’re hardcore history geeks and have a great time delving in to guidebooks, downloaded histories on our e-readers and surfing the net to find some of the stories behind each place we visit. We grab any and all pamphlets available at the sites we visit and even take pics of the markers with their historical information to help us remember a fact later. Putting it into a short story is a fun puzzle and makes each place we write about more personal for us. I think most travelers have a curiosity to see new places – our curiosity just takes us down the paths leading to the past as we try to put together a “big” picture!

You don’t have to walk far through the old winding streets to find various bits of Tavira’s history. It’s present residents are justifiably proud of it’s fascinating past and eager to point out places to visit as well as welcome you into a little shop to browse.

We’re so glad you enjoyed Tavira Ann, and hope you found it’s history as fascinating as we did. This area is so amazing and we’ve had a terrific time listening to and reading stories about each city we visit. So much to see and learn!

We enjoyed Tavira so much we showed it off to some Canadian friends of ours when they came to visit. And our second visit had us fantasizing about living there someday … Hopefully we can share a trip there with you sometime!